My Favorite subject matter to photograph by far!
Don't get me wrong, I love capturing babies first moments, and chasing after toddlers in the park. Pretty ladies demand attention from my camera, and deserve every minute of it. But the sensual look of a water droplet sliding down the side of a chilled glass gives me shivers in my spine. Watching the light reflect off the ice cubes in a cocktail creates a sense of excitement in my brain only equaled by a trip to the happiest place on earth.
Plus I like to drink the drinks once I have captured their magnificence through my lens.
These are from ECCO at the Camp in Costa Mesa. They have some great traditional cocktails, as well as the current standards and favorites. Quite an extensive wine menu as well, but I like my pretty glasses and tall straws!

Maisy

Such a sweet pup. Maisy was so pooped at the party, she took a rest right on the kitchen floor. It may have been the half glass of wine she lapped up off the ottoman after systematically knocking drinks out of everyone's hands! She didn't fall asleep though, as she knew there was food close by and people still willing to give her love an attention.

Finally some quite time after the holidays to turn these photos around so these two can get their save the date cards out this month! So much fun with Brittany and Patrick at the little park behind my house. So many different places to shoot there. I love it. Luckily the weather was perfect and we could do short sleeves with no worry of wind or rain. I am so excited for the wedding!!
I would like to do an additional shoot with this couple before the wedding in their full Harry Potter attire! They have matching tattoos and I would love to incorporate their love for each other with their shared interests. I am blessed to have such fun friends who what to take not only the traditional portraits for their engagement photos, but also like to branch out a bit and include their dog, and are OK with my suggestions to put their dog on the BBQ!
Hopefully some holiday photos soon to come, but don't hold your breath :)

 

inspiration

I have been motivated to start writing my blogs more frequently. I also just shipped off my computer to be fixed. So instead of using that as an excuse to put off my entries until pricilla comes home, I am blogging from my phone. So capitalization and punctuation may be used loosely for the time. My apologies.

We find inspiration in many different places. The way the sunlight hits the leaves in the trees, the smile on a child's face, the way the chocolate chips melt in a cookie and remain soft even after the cookie cools.
I often find it comes from my friends. Tonight I was invited by an old friend to a meeting with dane sanders. I am blessed to havepeople in my life who share with me such richness. I am not only inspired to work harder at my passion (photography) but motivated to encourage others to do the same.
I cannot even begin to explain just how rewarding it is to do what you love. To find a group of people who are there to support and encourage each other to do the same is like gold to me. Well, white gold, I am not as fond of the yellow kind.

Find inspiration in at least one thing each day and share that with someone you care about. I know your life will be richer, if only for that moment. But it is the moments to remember that we live for. Sharing those moments makes life worth living. Capturing those moments on film keeps me going. Sharing those images with people I care about makes my heart smile.

Finally I have finished the images from this glorious photoshoot.  We had such a fun day out in the backyard and running around the house changing outfits and playing with bubbles and fire.  All of the images looked so great and the ladies were so beautiful, I had a hard time picking out my favorites.  We shot in Costa Mesa and the wind started to pick up a little towards the end of the shoot, but we managed. Just some hair touch ups and everything was smooth again.  

I loved the martini theme.  It was so much fun and added a playfulness to the images.  The pictures I had originally envisioned turned out better than I could have ever imagined and they girls helped me improvise and come up with some different scenarios. 

This was the first time taking photos with Marissa, she was such a natural.  It must be all of that performing she has done that makes the camera smile for her.

This was my second time working with Aja, and she has got to be one of the most comfortable people in front of the camera I know.  

I can't wait to get the rest of the pictures taken for the other months for the calendar I want to put together this year.  It should be all put together this August and ready for sale in the fall.  Just in time for Christmas Gifts!

I plan on using the images also for my portfolio and hopefully in some other printed materials like greeting cards, and on the jewelry I would like to make.  If I ever get around to actually making it that is.  I have been too lazy this year and have not accomplished all of the goals I have set for myself, but every shoot I do inspires me for the next one and the next one. 

I LOVE taking pictures.  I want to share my visions of beauty with the world!    

Please enjoy these images and give me any hints or share ideas you may have for future shoots.  

I am not great at location scouting, so if you know of any great places, please share your knowledge.

Follow Your Passion!!

~H

LILY!!!